


My friends, the heroes

by OhhMyy



Series: Coming Back To Life. [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7921672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhhMyy/pseuds/OhhMyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New York is attacked by the fluffiest of foes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My friends, the heroes

**Author's Note:**

> Brief and not very descriptive mentions of past PTSD, Coulsons death and general angst. Mostly light.

She sits on a chair by the tower entrance making awkward small talk with Mike from Security as she waits nervously for their return. She holds the handle of a giant overnight bag tightly as it rests on the floor; full to the brim with bandages, antiseptic wipes and more than one first-aid kit. She knows that there is a medical wing somewhere in the tower with the most advance methods and access to the best doctors in the world at the push of a button, but the instructions to “sit tight” and “stay calm,” were driving her up the wall and the feeling of being a useless dead weight to the team sat sharply in the pit of her stomach. She wishes, idly, that she’d taken Tony up on his many offers to teach her to fight.

“They’ll be alright” Mike reassures her, looking up from his desk with a friendly smile. He’s kind, frequently nodding in passing and always bidding her a good day. Her arrival at the front desk didn’t seem to surprise him and she’s not sure if he’d been pre-warned or if his attention to detail meant he’d picked up on her personality  with only brief encounters.

She has no doubt they will win whichever war plagues them today; they haven’t lost yet and this is not the first time she’s carried plasters as if they were a life saver. They are her friends and she sees them on a daily basis as silly, harmless idiots but she knows the power they hold, the strength and skill and determination. She knows the city (and often the world) is safe in their hands but she is aware that safety does not come without a price and knows more than one of them will come back injured; the scale is what concerns her.

After the Battle of New York she watched a broken Tony scramble to hide his weaknesses, body fine but mind shattered. She watched Bruce learn to hide all over again. Watched Clint spend more time at the tower to avoid going back to his apartment; running from reminders and photographs and she has held him through the night as he choked back sobs as she has done for Tony on more than one occasion, whispering empty words of sacrifice and assurances that blame does not lie with him. Natasha wept for her lost friend, but she did so silently, hiding behind snarls and insults and Charlie admired her as often as she worried.

She loves her friends; fiercely and without hesitation. She understands that they have fought more battles than she can count; meet them all with will like steel, but she does not think she can watch them hurt repeatedly with the same strength.

They come back laughing and she heaves a sigh of relief as Mike gives her a smile and stands to welcome them back. Clint is limping, holding onto Natasha’s shoulders as she helps him along. There are various scrapes and bruises but the air is light and there isn’t a single one missing nor any serious injuries that she can see; actually they all look fairly unscathed and it stops her short for a second before she rushes forward to fuss over them, one at a time and Thor regales her with their heroic tale of fighting giant pink rabbits that were attempting to chew the buildings of New York; apparently Bruce is not the only scientist who has had research backfire and Dr Allistons attempt at giving her daughter a unique birthday present spiraled widely out of control.

They managed to shrink the rabbits down to a regular size with the help of SHEILD intel and a few instructions from Maria. Tony flew into a building trying to avoid hurting the 'adorable bundle of fluff' and the hardest part of the fight was convincing Clint that he wasn't allowed to keep one as a pet; not at any size. The deadly foes were rounded up and the group were assured they would be given to good homes rather than sent off for experimentation, Steve having a soft spot for animal welfare.

She herds them like sheep back into the safety of their living quarters, handing out wipes and bandages and plasters (with their faces on; they may not approve but she loves the fact they have become merchandise and refuses to be ashamed of owning various items with their images and she knows for a fact Clint has kept numerous Captain America pieces that Coulson left behind). She pulls Tony into a tighter than usual hug, after reassuring herself that he is in one piece ,and he grumbles for show but tightens his own hold anyway.

She watches the news as they clean themselves up; watches them fight from behind a television set and feels her heart skip beats despite knowing they are safe and sound close by. She wonders what use she can be to them when her only talents lie away from fighting but she can’t help but be amused as she watches giant pink bunnies bite off corners of high rise buildings as if they are pieces of lettuce; the destruction will need to be fixed, Tony will need to write cheques but the civilian casualties are low and as a civilian she takes comfort in the Avengers.

“Move up” Clint startles her from her thoughts, limping into the room and bee lining for her as she sits on the three person sofa. She does so and he plops down next to her with a sigh, lifting his leg and placing it over her lap before his body twists and he lays his back down on the cushions with a grunt; hands over his eyes.

“You jumped off a building didn’t you?” There’s reproach and familiarity in her tone and he flashes his teeth at her before confirming that his escape from the potential of being chewed wasn't ideal. She rolls her eyes affectionately but brings her hands down to massage his leg anyway, making note of the tense spots and giving them extra attention. He lets out a moan and stretches, clicking his vertebrae.

“You’re not allowed to leave; I need these hands after battle. Nat just tells me to suck it up” He pouts at her, hands still crossed over his face. She knows there is a deeper meaning to his words, is pretty sure most of them think she’s leaving but Clint knows more than his fair share of her secrets as she does his; thinks she’s one of two of the group to see him cry over his loss and he’s bared witness to her tears in silence and support.

She thinks about the past few months, about the fun and the fights and her family. She remembers the empty feeling in her gut over the years when she’s been stuck watching her friends from a far off screen, only informed after the fact that one is injured and she presses her thumb against a knot in his calf before stilling her hands; watching a few of them trail into the room; plonking themselves on chairs and cushions.

“Hey Star Spangled, thanks for letting me hold the shield” She hears Tony yell, dangling a bruised arm over the back of his chair, legs up over the side, he flips a finger in Steve’s direction but his eyes are crinkled at the edges; as tense as moments have been and can be between the two they are largely back to playful digs at each other and their sense of camaraderie grows with each battle in which they have to work together. She knows how hard it is for Tony to have Bucky at the tower, that despite their developing friendship he can’t help but see his parents when he glances at the silver arm but she’s impressed by the amount of effort each of the men have put into forgiveness.

“It’s not a toy, Stark”

“Everything’s a toy if you play with it”

Bucky squishes into the space next to her; he is unscathed and weary but there’s a small indulgent smile on his face and she presses her thigh gently against his without stalling the hands on Clints leg, a silent gesture that she’s glad he is safe and he presses back before watching her fingers move firmly on the archers muscles.

“I’m sure we’ve talked about this before Tony. You’re not allowed to play with other peoples things” Bruce calls from the kitchen, taking a teabag from his drawer and popping it into a mug, she feels briefly guilty that she’s not handing out hot drinks and generally fussing over them but as her hand stalls Clint wiggles his foot against her lap, letting out a pathetic high pitched whine that tells her he’s definitely not happy with being left alone.

“Suck it up Barton” Natasha says firmly, coming up behind the sofa to clip Clint gently around the head before wandering to the kitchen to pester Bruce for tea. She hears the door opening and closing in a clear sign that Natasha has managed to wrangle a prized teabag away from the scientists private (not so private, they all know it’s there but Bruce is fortunate that most of the group prefer coffee).

“See, I told you” Clint starts, eyes widening at her in childish oath, nodding his head quickly up and down at her “She bullies me”.

She barks a loud laugh and throws her head back against the cushions, bringing it back up to see a few of them looking at her, smiling. She brings her head down to rest on Bucky’s shoulder, lolling to the side and closing her eyes; inhaling the light smell of cinnamon she has come to associate with him.

“God, it’s good to be home”

 

 


End file.
